UN Programme, Agency or Fund

18 November 2014: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Forestry and Timber Section conducted a regional review of carbon sequestration in forests. The review concludes that the European region contains 41% of the world's forests, worth 225 million tons of carbon per year as a forest biomass carbon sink.

Organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Council for Science (ICSU) and Future Earth, in collaboration with a partnership of French organizations, this science-focused conference will examine the latest research around climate change. Participants will discuss the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and any new research since the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). The event will touch upon the following themes: state of knowledge on climate change; scenarios exploring our common future; responding to climate change challenges; and collective action and transformative solutions. The Chair of the conference is Chris Field, Co-Chair of Working Group II of the IPCC.

This conference, which is meeting under the theme ‘Bridging the gaps between the global ENSO science and the regional processes, extremes and impacts,' aims to review progress on the science of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and regional processes to improve the prediction of ENSO and related regional impacts. This discussion will contribute to the development of decision-support frameworks for appropriate planning and response at the national and local levels. The conference will bring together scientists and experts involved in research, observations and operational climate services to provide a forum for efficiently linking science with societal needs. The outcomes will be used to support implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) and inform action to increase resilience to natural climate variability in the areas of agriculture and food security, disaster risk reduction, health and water. The conference is organized by the Centro Internacional para la Investigación del Fenómeno de El Niño, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as one of the co-sponsors.

12 November 2014: After having announced earlier in 2014 that an estimated seven million people die annually from pollution exposure, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued benchmarks for achieving healthy air in and around the home. Among its suggestions, WHO recommends avoiding unprocessed coal and kerosene as household fuels.

11 November 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) en.lighten initiative has convened the Global Efficient Lighting Forum, which focused on accelerating the global phase-in of energy-efficient lighting products. The forum brought together representatives from electrical utilities, lighting manufacturers, development banks, financial institutions and international agencies to reaffirm their commitment to mitigate climate change by transitioning to energy-efficient lighting, and to discuss the best ways to accelerate such a transition.

The 3rd ASEAN Climate Outlook Forum (ASEANCOF-3) is being organized by the Meteorological Service Singapore, as host of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Specialized Meteorological Centre. Attendees will include national meteorological services, and representatives from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), ASEAN Secretariat, among others. The forum will meet for two days, followed by a training workshop on the third day. ASEANCOF-3 will focus on, among other issues, the application of long-range forecasts in the water management sector.

7 November 2014: Under the auspices of the UNFCCC Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG), nine Pacific Island countries gathered for a five-day workshop aimed at launching a process for medium- and long-term adaptation planning. The meeting was held in collaboration with UN Development Programme (UNDP)/UN Environment Programme (UNEP) National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP), which supports developing countries in creating and implementing NAPs.

November 2014: The Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture (MICCA) Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a report detailing the concepts behind the scientific activities and pilot projects it is undertaking, and the results of its research on climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The pilot projects, carried out in Tanzania and Kenya, focus on supporting livelihoods, increasing productivity and lowering emissions.

7 November 2014: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) convened a conference aimed to ensure that: weather and climate services consider the special needs and strengths of women in order to reduce their vulnerability to disasters and climate change; and realize their potential as champions of community resilience.

30 October 2014: The UN Development Programme's (UNDP) MDG Carbon has released a Guidance Paper that describes a model approach for financing the development, implementation and operation of a sector-wide programme for renewable energy rural electrification as a nationally appropriate mitigation action (NAMA).